Safety feed control device for oil burners



Nov. 6, 1951 J. DoMlNlc SAFETY FEED CONTROL DEVICE EoR OIL BURNERS Filed Dec.

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SAFETY FEED CONTROL DEVICE FOR on. BURNERS Filed Deo. 51, 1948 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Qi w N\ E 1 f Q5 S3 E INVENTOR. ../UJEPH ooM//v/c,

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Patented Nov. 6, 1951 .iastate UNITED STATE-s PATsNT ors-ics ySAFETY FEED CONTROL DEVICE FOR Y OIL BURNERS Joseph Dominic,.otwood, Newfoundland Application December 31, 1948, Serial No. 68,637

3 Claims. .1

This invention relates to -oil burners, and more particularly -to 4an oil control device for regulating the `flow of oil -to a burner so as to maintain the level of oil in the `burner at a safe value at all times.

A main object of the invention vis to' provide ya novel and improved fuel feed Vcontrol device for oil burners which prevents the oil level in the bu-rner from rising to a dangerous point through inadvertent vopening of the manual control valve of the burner, through accidental extinction of the burner flame, or for any other reason, whereby the burner is protected against the hazards arising from excessive oil vin the burner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved safety device to limit the quantity of loil admitted to an oil bur-ner to a safe value at all times, said device being very simple in construction, easy to install and entirely automatic in operation.

`Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a `generally schematic view of the fuel supply system of an oil burner provided with a fuel feed control device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the carburetor and the .feed control vdevice `being shown in longitudinal cross-section.

FigureZ is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure A3 -is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on `line 3 3 `of Figure 1.

, Figure 4 is an enlarged lcross-sectional detail view taken lon line 4-4 of Figure l.

Figure 5A is a fragmentary top plan View of the manual control element of the oil burner, as shown in Figure 2, but illustrating the control knob in the on position.

Referring to the drawings, II generally designates an .oil burner having a fuel inlet sump I2, the burner being of the conventional gravity feed type wherein the .fuel flows upwardly into the burner through said inlet portion I2. The fuel` is supplied from van elevated .storage tank I3 through a conventional float chamber I4. As shown in Figure 1, a conduit I5 connects the bottom o'f supply 'tank I3 to the inlet manifold I6 of the float chamber I4. The fuel is admitted into the chamber through the usual float-controlled needle valve I'Isaid valve being provided with a manually latched float-operated closing mechanism, indicated generally at I3 for closing the valve under certain conditions such as when sediment in the seat portion -of valve Il' obstructs normal closing thereof. The structure of the chamber I4 is well known and is described in detail in U. S. Patent No. 2,129,937 to R. W. Johnson, issued September 13, 1938.

Chamber I4 is provided with Ian outlet valve I'Qwhich is operated by a cam 2li actingzagainst an arm.2| in a well known manner. Rotation .of cam 2t is accomplished by a shaft 22v provided at its top end with a knob '23. The float chamber valve .I S'may be openedto a desired degree'bya'd-l justin'g knob 523, with reference to a scale marked adjacent the cam housing 24, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The structure thus far described is conventional 'and forms vno part of the present invention.

The operation of the float chamber i4 normally maintains a constant level of fuel in the burner while the valve I'Qlis open and the -.burner is in operation. However, if the burner vis not in operation and valve I9 is opened, the level of fuel inthe burner may rise more rapidly'than the level of fuel in the chamber, and when the carburetor float valve closes, it may leave the burner with an excessive amount of fuel, particularly'where `sediment is present Yin valve IB and the closing mechanism I8 fails to operate promptly'orhas-'not been properly .latched v The present invention aims to prevent the 'excessive accumulation of fuel inthe burner from any cause. In accordance with the invention, `a float valve-operated safety device, shown generally at 25 is interposed between the'chamber 'le and the burner I'I. 'Safety device25 comprises a chamber 23 having San intake passage 2? formed in its bottomjwall, said passage 21 being connected to the outlet of chamber I4 by a conduit 28. Connected to passage 21 inside the chamber 26 is a vertical 'valve sleeve 29, apertured at its lower portion asY shown at 30, and 'formed adjacent aperture 30 with a valve seatl 3! Slidably vpositioned in valve sleeve l29 is a needle valve "32 provided with a`washer 33 at its 'upper portion. A coiled spring 34 encircles the needle valve 32,' bearing between washer 33 and sleeve 29. Washer 33`is locatedon a reduced stud portion 36 at the top vend of valve 32. En'circling studportion 35 is `a second coiledfsprin'g u35 which bears between washer 33 and a second Washer v3l on stud lportion. A nut Y33 is threaded on said stud portion'a'bove Washer 3l to provide adjustable "spring pressure on washer 3l. Pivoted'on a transverse shaft 39 in chamber 26 is an arm 4i) carrying a float `4I at one end and bearing on washer 3lV at the other end. Float 4I is setto force needle valve 312 downwardly against seat 3i when the oil level in -chamber 2B reaches the desired `limiting safe level. in 'the .burner sump l2.

Designated at 42 is a veritcal outlet valve sleeve secured in chamber 26 and connected to a conduit 43 leading to the burner inlet sump IZ. Sleeve 421isapertured at its lower portion, as shown at 44. Slidably positioned in sleeve 42 is a needle valve 45 provided with a top abutment '46. A coiled :spring 4l encircles the upper portion of needle valve 45 and bears between abutment 46 and the top ofsleeve 42. vertically aligned with needle valve 45 and slida-bly passing through'the top wall of chamber :26 is a rod 4.8 having a bot tom `abutment 49. A coiled spring 5U encircles rod vd3-anal bears between abutment 49 and the top:` wall ofi .chamber 2B. Spring 50 exerts sufri-` cientforce to' `normally maintain'- needle valve 45 in seated position against the bottom seat portion, shown at 5|, of valve sleeve 42.

Pivoted to an upstanding bracket 52 secured to the top wall of chamber 26, for rotation in a horizontal plane, is an arm 53. Arm 53 passes through a horizontally slotted guide bracket 54 carried by chamber 26 and is formed at its left end, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, with divergent fingers 55, 55 extending on opposite sides of a vertical vane 56 carriedby the manual control shaft 22. Designated at 51 is a cam member pivoted at 58 to an upstanding bracket 59 carried by the top wall of chamber 26 adjacent the upper end of rod 48. Cam member 51 is rotatable in a transverse vertical plane. The upper portion of said cam member is formed with spaced upstanding lugs lill,` 60 defining a notch between which the right end of arm 53 is received, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. A U-shaped link member 6| connects the top end of rod 48 to the upper portion of cam member 51, as shown in Figure 4.

Cam member 51 is formed with inclined depending lugs 62 and 63 which cooperate with the top wall of chamber 26 to limit rotation of the cam member in counterclockwise and clockwise directions respectively, as viewed in Figure 4.

When the cam member is rotated clockwise, lug 63 engages said top wall shortly after the top arm of link 6| passes its dead center position. Rod

48 is therefore held in a raised position and the sition shown in Figure 2, vane 56 engages the adjacent finger 55 of arm 53 and rotates said arm counterclockwise around its pivot bracket 52. This rotates cam 51 from the position shown in Figure 4 clockwise to a position wherein lug 63 abuts the top wall of chamber 26, the top arm of link 6l being meanwhile moved beyond dead Vcenter position, whereby the cam is held in this rotated position, as above described. Rod 48 is thus held in raised position, allowing needle Valve 45 to be opened by spring 41 and allowing oil to flow from chamber 26 through conduit 43 to burner sump l2. Figure 5 illustrates the relative positions of vane 56 and arm 53 at this time. To close needle valve 45, knob 23 must be rotated counterclockwise from the position of Figure 5 to the position of Figure 2. This swings arm 53 clockwise around its pivot lug 52 and returns cam 51 to the position of Figure 4.

It is thus seen that needle valve 45 is raised only when the knob 23 is turned from its off position to its on position, and will remain open until knob 23 is returned to off position in the manner above described. During the time the needle valve 45 is open the float-operated needle valve 32 protects the burner from receiving too large a quantity of fuel from the chamber I4.

While a specific embodiment of a safety fuel feed control device for -oil burners has been disclosed in the foregoing description it will be understood that Various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore,it is intended that no limitations be placed 4on the inventionexceptas dened by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fuel feed system for oil burners, a float chamber having a manually controlled outlet valve, an outlet conduit connected to said outlet valve, and a feed control device connected to said outlet conduit, said feed control device comprising a chamber having a float-controlled intake valve and an outlet valve mechanically coupled to the outlet valve of the first mentioned iloat chamber.

2. In an oil burner fuel feed system, a float chamber, said chamber having a manually controlled outlet valve, conduit means extending from vsaid outlet valve, said conduit means including a second chamber having a liquid levelresponsive intake valve and a normally closed outlet valve, a rotary notched cam member mounted on said second chamber for rotation in a vertical plane, link means connecting said cam member to said normally closed outlet valve, an arm pivoted to said second chamber for rotation in a horizontal plane normal to the plane of the cam member and engaging in the notch of said cam member at one end portion thereof, and cooperating means on said manually controlled outlet valve and the other end portion -of said arm formed and arranged to rotate said arm responsive to actuation of said manually controlled valve.

3. In an oil burner fuel feed system, a iloat chamber, outlet valve means in said chamber, a rotary shaft provided in said chamber, means on said rotary shaft for actuating said outlet valve means, conduit means extending from the outlet valve means of the chamber, said conduit means including a second chamber having a oat-controlled inlet valve and an outlet valve comprising an apertured sleeve member projecting vertically from the bottom wall of said second chamber, a valve rod slidably fitting said sleeve member, and spring means biasing said valve rod downwardly in the sleeve member, the top end of said valve rod projecting slidably through the top wall of said second chamber, a cam having a notched top portion and depending side lugs, means rotatably mounting said cam on the top wall of said second chamber for rotation in a vertical plane, said side lugs being respectively engageable With said top wall responsive to rotation of said cam, a link member connecting said cam to the top end of said valve rod, the valve rod being elevated responsive to rotation of said cam from one of its limiting positions to the other, and the connection of the link member to the cam being positioned beyond its upper dead center position when the cam reaches said other limiting position, whereby the spring means hold the cam in said other limiting position, an arm pivoted to the top wall of the second chamber, one end of said arm engaging in the notch of the cam, a pair of spaced fingers on the other end of said arm, and a projection on said rotary shaft engaging between said spaced fingers.

JOSEPH DOMINIC.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,393,233 Breese Jan. 22, 1946 

